My GPS/FF has packed up and I am thinking of replacing with an Elite 4 DSI. Can anyone tell me (since I can't find the answer anywhere else I have tried) what GPS functionality you get from these units without the additional charts ? i.e. if I get just the Elite-4 now will it work OK without buying plug in charts which I would plan to get later when funds are available ?

Hey stobbo,I had a look on mine before inserting the Navionics charts and all it has is a basic coastline. But all the GPS tracking and waypoint functions are still operating separate to teh chart map you see in the background. So it is like a basic model GPS, you can mark a waypoint to match a point to see on the sounder. and see your track as you go.

Question, can the Lowrance Elite-4 Fishfinder/GPS be mounted on a TI with the Lowrance transducer kayak scupper mount (pn72020050)?

I am looking at the same thing. The transducer is much thinner than standard ones and will pass down the hole of the scupper but not the seat drain hole. I am looking to do my own scupper mount so it sitts close to the hull. Or put it on a side mounted plate. a bit like this idea:viewtopic.php?f=47&t=42348

west coast papaya wrote:

will the transducer clear the TI cradles when the kayak is slid onto the trailer? If so what scupper should be used?

I had a look at this yesterday and No it will not clear the cradle which sticks up into the hull groove. That is if you mount it in the middle scupper holes. But if you put in the rear scupper holes, the cradle sitts in front of this point so it is not an issue.

west coast papaya wrote:

I hope I don't have to Mickey Mouse the job. Although, I talked to Lowrance about the extra electrical connection that should be capped and they suggested I cover it with silicone, no caps in the new box. Will do grrrr

I found a small rubber cap / plug from a local rubber bitts supply place 'Clark Rubber'. I will glue the cap on with silicone sealer to make sure (that way I can peel it off again if needed unlike other glue goop etc.) and I will also seal the other cap that covers the external GPS antenna plug on my Elite 5, not sure if that is on the 4.

West AusieThanks for the info, I do want to keep my GPS mobile so sealing the live line is iffy. I have got a 2 year insurance plan on it and they say its waterproof and ideal for saltwater use. I will talk to my Hobie dealer about the new Lowrance kayak scupper mount tomorrow.

My mark-4 has contour lines of my favorite local lakes right out of the box. I'm sure that the navionics and such are higher quality but this is good enough for me. I scrolled around and it has most of the lakes I spend time on but nowhere close to all lakes in my region.

My mark 4 elite (not DSI) GPS shows all the lakes in the area very well. The waypoint feature is very precise, however sometimes when looking at the map the tracking shows that I have been kayaking over land especially if I am in close to shore. So the maps themselves aren't all that accurate.

I would love to see a comparison of a body of water with and without the gold add-on.

My mark 4 elite (not DSI) GPS shows all the lakes in the area very well. The waypoint feature is very precise, however sometimes when looking at the map the tracking shows that I have been kayaking over land especially if I am in close to shore. So the maps themselves aren't all that accurate.

I would love to see a comparison of a body of water with and without the gold add-on.

So that is prety good. Maybee the US version has a reasonable base map.

Over here in the wild West of Australia, we only get a rough coastline and no contours as the base map. Then fit the (really extorsionately expensive $395 for Gold) Navionics and have full detail of the whole country.

The cable doesn't fit through the bottom either, because of the plastic nut that holds the connector to the unit. If I force the nut off the connector over the top, I'm afraid it will break and not hold the connector in. I really like this install and plan to use it if possible as I too use the scupper cart. Any enlightenment would be appreciated.

Split / cut the cable lock ring on a 45 angle one side only....one careful cut ...and the ring can be replaced after the cable is routed. I removed the scupper plug and reused it as part of my install. I used a 5/8" wing bit to drill access holes in the seat back and deck.

Split / cut the cable lock ring on a 45 angle one side only....one careful cut ...and the ring can be replaced after the cable is routed. I removed the scupper plug and reused it as part of my install. I used a 5/8" wing bit to drill access holes in the seat back and deck.

This is all the pictures I have ....I have gotten used to the Elite now and will take some pictures of the split retaining ring on the permanent installation. I kept my Humminbird on board for reference to have some idea of the difference. Got it down pretty good now. I will miss the "fish Alarm" on the hummingbird because i used it while I'm reading the water and birds instead of the machine. With the elite I just have to check the screen more often. The Elite is so sensitive that some fish are hard to see in dirty water with all the background noise. The humminbird continued to chirp away on fish in those conditions. The Humminbird also gave me false positives occasionally, Would say "Fish" but the Elite clearly showed nothing. I'm a happy camper overall....